boy's name
Hank
HANK
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 17,659
the United States
#413
2025 births
Hank is a boy's name of Germanic origin, a short form of Henry meaning "home ruler". It reached English through the Dutch Henk, and it is one of very few nicknames whose route into the language can be traced that precisely.
- Hank is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 776 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,272 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1908.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hank over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 11 |
| 1910s | 38 |
| 1920s | 124 |
| 1930s | 185 |
| 1940s | 462 |
| 1950s | 1,370 |
| 1960s | 1,562 |
| 1970s | 982 |
| 1980s | 973 |
| 1990s | 849 |
| 2000s | 1,243 |
| 2010s | 4,932 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,253 |
What Hank means
Hank carries Henry's meaning — ruler of the household, from haim, a home or estate, and ric, power. On its own the syllable means nothing; it is a shortening, not a word.
Where Hank comes from
Hank shortens Henry, from the Germanic Heimirich — haim, home or estate, and ric, power or ruler. The route is unusual: Middle English produced Hankin as a pet form of John, and separately the Dutch Henk shortens Hendrik, the Dutch Henry, and Dutch settlement in New York carried Henk into American English as Hank. Both threads fed the modern name. It became thoroughly American in feel through Hank Williams, Hank Aaron and a long line of others, and it appears in our records from 1908, reaching its highest use in 2025 — well over a century later.
Hank in use
Hank appears in our records from 1908 and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Hank?
In 2025, Hank was given to 776 babies in the United States, ranking #413 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Hank is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hank
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hank also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hank over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Hank in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hank
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hank — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hank
What does the name Hank mean?
Home ruler, carried over from Henry, of which it is a short form.
Is Hank short for Henry?
Yes, by way of the Dutch Henk, which shortens Hendrik. Dutch settlement in New York brought it into American English.
Is Hank an American name?
It is thoroughly American in feel, though its route runs through Dutch and Germanic.
How popular is the name Hank?
In 2025, Hank was given to 776 babies in the United States, ranking #413 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Hank a girl's or a boy's name?
Hank is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hank?
Hank has 1 syllable.
When was Hank most popular?
Hank peaked in 2025, when 776 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Hank a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hank currently ranks #413 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.